Man killed by car "probably lying in road" (From Western Telegraph)

Man killed by car "probably lying in road"

12:00pm Saturday 22nd September 2012 in News

A "popular young man" hit and killed by a car last summer was likely to have been lying in the road before the accident, an inquest has heard.

After a two-day inquest into the death of David Robert Llewellyn, of Priory Avenue, Haverfordwest, deputy coroner for Pembrokeshire Gareth Lewis recorded a verdict of accidental death.

The inquest heard that the 24-year-old died after being struck in Winch Lane in the early hours of Saturday, August 20th, 2011.

The driver of the car, Angela Edwards, said she saw something on the road as she hit it, possibly “a traffic cone or cardboard”.

It was when she stopped and looked underneath the vehicle that she saw Mr Llewellyn’s body, the inquest heard.

Dyfed-Powys Police collision investigator Michael John said evidence suggested that Mr Llewellyn was lying down in the road when he was hit by Mrs Edwards’ Mini.

He said that minor damage to the car, which was low down, together with the position of Mr Llewellyn’s body, suggested that he was in a lying down position before being dragged 8.2 metres along the road surface.

He said: “The pedestrian was certainly not upright when the collision took place. If he was, the vehicle would have propelled the body.

“A combination of circumstances did not mean that the accident was inevitable, but almost so.”

Mr John, who carried out a reconstruction of the collision using a holdall in the road, said that at 25 metres the object could be seen reasonably well.

But he added that the likely stopping distance, given a good reaction time and vehicle speed of 25.6mph, would exceed 25 metres.

According to witness accounts, on the night of his death Mr Llewellyn had drunk 12 pints and two WKDs.

Toxicologist Valerie Forbes-Forsyth said that with 215mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, Mr Llewellyn would have been two and a half times over the drink-driving limit.

But after viewing CCTV footage, police did not have any concerns that he was ‘incapable’.

A post mortem examination indicated that the cause of death was traumatic injuries caused by a road traffic accident.

Deputy coroner Gareth Lewis recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said: “This is a very tragic case for all concerned.

From the evidence that I have heard and considered, David Llewellyn was clearly a very popular young man, who was highly regarded by his family, friends, and colleagues.

“My sincere condolences go to all concerned.”